Housing fix MP shuns tent city
$50m accommodation project for city
TASMANIA’S new Housing Minister has not visited the tent city at the Hobart Showground and has no plans to do so, despite an invitation from Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania boss Scott Gadd.
Housing Minister Roger Jaensch confirmed he had not visited the families sheltering at the site since being sworn in a week ago.
“I haven’t been out to the showground, but I’ve got to tell you there’s people in many parts of greater Hobart and many parts of Tasmania who are under housing stress,” Mr Jaensch said.
When asked if he intended to visit the Glenorchy site, Mr Jaensch said: “I’ve not got a visit scheduled.
“I’m going to listen to various people who can tell me about what the situations are that we’re facing. I have meetings with several stakeholders and advocates in my office and their offices over the next little while.”
RAST chief executive Scott Gadd has invited Mr Jaensch to visit and said he was disappointed to hear the Minister had no plans to drop by.
Mr Gadd said numbers at the showground had increased over the past couple of weeks, with about 10 groups seeking shelter, including two large working families. He said he believed the two families would not qualify for the emergency solutions offered by the State Government because they had incomes. “It’s very disappointing,” Mr Gadd said.
“(Mr Jaensch) said when he was announced (as minister) that he wanted to be fully briefed. If he’s going to be fully briefed, he needs more than what he’s being told by the bureaucrats. It would be useful for him to get an appreciation of where the gaps are in the current policy decisions.”
Labor MLC Sarah Lovell said the Government was yet to come up with a solution that would help working families living in tents at the showground, in sheds in people’s backyards or couch surfing.
“I can only imagine how those families are feeling at the showground to know that the Minister is not taking their plight seriously enough to even go out there and speak with them,” she said.
On Saturday, the Government announced a $500,000 emergency package to help some Tasmanians into accommodation before winter, but people need to qualify for the assistance.
THE University of Tasmania expects work to begin on a 450-bed accommodation complex on Melville St before the end of this year.
University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black announced plans for the $50 million complex yesterday, funded by commercial partners.
Professor Black said an inprinciple agreement had been reached with those partners to build the complex, to be located across from student accommodation on Elizabeth St. “The university isn’t going to have to be contributing large amounts of funds to make this happen,” Prof Black said.
“This is a case where the market is sending strong signals, and commercial providers are therefore ready to step in.”
Construction is expected to take between 18 months and two years to complete.
“Our offering to students — both domestic and international — is of the highest standard,” Prof Black said.
“These projects combined will ensure we maintain those standards as our growth in numbers continues.”
The university is also working on a range of accommodation options for 150-200 new beds by semester two, to assist in housing the approximately 200 UTAS students living in substandard accommodation.
“We have some students now that we want to get better housing for, so we’ve got a range of options we’re looking at,” Prof Black said.
But further details of those options remain under wraps.
Prof Black said the university was working on those op- tions without State Government involvement.
Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said every investment in housing took more pressure off Tasmania’s general housing market.
“I want to congratulate the university for not only being a driver of demand but also of supply,” he said.
Labor MLC Sarah Lovell said the announcement from UTAS was positive.
“We know there are problems with housing students and we welcome the announcement today,” she said.